We left Zermatt and bussed to Berne. We stopped for lunch at the famous bear pits and watched the bear play and ham it up for the crowd. We made a comfort stop in Interlaken where I saw the longest bike parking rack ever. in the Haslital Valley we saw a Swiss Air Force jet landing over a field of cows, and we passed the military airport as we drove up the Brunig Pass.
In Lucerne we saw the beautiful and serene Lion Monument. It was so so beautiful and sad – the most breathtaking work of art I’ve ever seen. The Monument is carved into the rock face with a reflecting pool in front and surrounded by trees; the area is quiet and cool. I could’ve stood looking at him for hours, but we only had a few minutes to grab photos and take from the memorial what we could.
We also saw the famous Chapel Bridge, a covered bridge with painted panels dating to the 17th century. Some of the panels are intact, but most of the bridge and panels were destroyed in a fire in 1993.
That night we walked across town to have dinner at a fondue restaurant. We had a raclette feast! There was a complicated-looking contraption to hold and melt the cheese so it dripped down onto a plate. We had more potatoes and vegetables than we could eat with the delicious cheese. Our waiter was a very friendly Indian man – if I remember correctly, he was in Switzerland as a student, learning the hospitality trade. After dinner (and a lot of walking around) I managed to cram in some gelato; there’s always room for gelato.
I also managed to tag a wall next to a hip-hop-ish storefront with a Good night, TV! logo sticker, so hopefully that’s driven some European traffic their way.